Sony/ATV Music Publishing has renewed its worldwide deal with Grammy–winning and Golden Globe–nominated songwriter, musician and producer, Joel Little. The new agreement encompasses his work with Lorde, including her multi–million–selling debut album, Pure Heroine, which he co–wrote and produced, as well as songs with artists such as Khalid, Imagine Dragons and Sam Smith. It also covers future compositions.

Sony/ATV Co–President, U.S. Rick Krim said, “It has been an honor and a pleasure for all of us at Sony/ATV to work with Joel, and we couldn’t be happier for his ongoing success. We are thrilled to be continuing with him and are excited about what the future will bring.”

Little said, “Sony/ATV have been taking care of me for 10 years now and at this point it just feels like home. The extended family there have put in so much hard work for me over the years and I can’t wait to see where we take things with this next chapter.”

Little’s music career in his native New Zealand began as singer and guitarist of the band Goodnight Nurse before he was introduced to local singer/songwriter Ella Yelich–O’Connor (Lorde). The pair began working at his production studio and co–wrote The Love Club EP, which included songs “Royals” and “Tennis Court.” Initially a No.1 hit in New Zealand, “Royals” went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. for nine weeks in 2013, reached No.1 in the U.K. and became a hit globally. It sold over 10 million downloads worldwide and won the Grammy for Song of the Year in 2014 as well as receiving a Record of the Year nomination.

A second U.S. Top 10 hit followed with “Team,” which was included alongside “Royals” on Lorde’s 2013 debut album, Pure Heroine. The album peaked at No.3 on the Billboard 200 chart in the U.S. where it was certified by the RIAA for 3 million sales, reached No.3 in the U.K. and was recognized by IFPI as one of the 10 biggest–selling albums of 2014. Additional credits for Little with Lorde included songs for the soundtrack of the movie Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1, as well as co–writing “Green Light,” which reached the Top 20 on both sides of the Atlantic and served as the lead single for Lorde’s 2017 U.S. chart–topping second album Melodrama.

Little’s work with with rising R&B star Khalid saw three tracks co–written on the artist’s Grammy–nominated, U.S. double–platinum debut album American Teen. He also co–produced Khalid’s 2018 hit “Youth” with Shawn Mendes. With Imagine Dragons, Little co–wrote “Whatever It Takes,” which featured on the group’s global hit album Evolve and this year reached No.1 on Billboard’s Adult Pop Songs, Hot Rock Songs and Rock Airplay charts.

Additional work in 2018 for Little, includes singles and cuts with artists such as 6LACK, Daya, Mikky Ekko, Noah Kahan and Amy Shark.

ED HOWARD NAMED MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR ASYLUM UK

Ed Howard

Asylum Records UK has announced the promotion of Ed Howard to Managing Director for the label. During his tenure with Asylum over the last decade, Howard has played a key role in developing the careers of acts such as Ed Sheeran, Anne–Marie and Rudimental. Howard had previously been serving as A&R Director for the Atlantic imprint. He will report to Ben Cook, President for Atlantic Records UK.

Cook said, “Ed was the first appointment to the Asylum team when I relaunched the label in the UK a decade ago, it’s been brilliant to see him flourish as A&R and as an executive ever since. Ed’s not only the consummate record–maker, he also possesses the rare gift of being able to attract artists and understand how to help them do their best work and realise their visions. He’s the ideal choice to take Asylum into the future. Together, Ed and Atlantic’s other A&R leaders – Briony Turner, Alec Boateng, and Paul Samuels – form an amazing, world–class team of passionate, inspired music–makers. Atlantic isn't just a long–term home for extraordinary artists, it’s a place where courageous, innovative people can grow long–term careers themselves. I’m delighted for Ed on this richly earned promotion.”

Howard commented, “With Asylum being such an important part of my life, it’s a distinct honour for me to step into this new position. Our mission is to sign and nurture a select group of original artists, each of whom lives in a unique place on our roster and in the musical universe. I’m extremely proud of them all. I want to thank Ben for all the support he has shown me over the years and for this opportunity to grow the Asylum legacy. I also want to thank our Asylum team, including Kevin Christian–Blair, as well as the wider family at Atlantic who back us impeccably. I look forward to continuing to execute our artists’ vision with enthusiasm and dedication.”

In addition to its artist roster, Asylum is also home to imprints with Sheeran’s Gingerbread Man and Rudimental’s Major Tom labels, the latter of which signed Anne–Marie.

Upcoming releases for Asylum include Rudimental’s third album, Toast to Our Differences in January, as well as a new Charli XCX album and the debut from emerging act Mahalia.

2018 ARIA AWARDS RECAP

Intense storms weren’t the only thing hitting Sydney, Australia last week as the city saw the 2018 ARIA Awards welcome the country's most talented music artists to be recognized for their achievements.

Among the night’s biggest winners were Amy Shark (Apple Music Album of the Year, Best Female Artist & Best Pop Release), 5 Seconds of Summer (Best Group, Apple Music Song of the Year & Best Australian Live Act) and the late Gurrumul (Best Male Artist & Best Independent Release). Prior to the show, Gurrumul had also garnered Best World Music Album honors with his final album, Djarimirri making history in becoming the first indigenous language work to top the ARIA Albums Charts. Gurrumul’s contribution to the local and global industry was recognized throughout the evening via a performance from Jessica Mauboy and Briggs (A.B. Original), as well as a spoken word rendition of “Wulminda” from Gurrumul’s daughter, Jasmine Yunupingu.

Amy Shark

5 Seconds Of Summer

Gurrumul

Courtney Barnett

Kasey Chambers

Courtney Barnett set a precedent of her own, becoming the first solo female artist to pick up the Best Rock Album honors for her full length Tell Me How You Really Feel which reached No.2 on the ARIA Albums Charts. Additionally, Kasey Chambers became the youngest female to be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame at 42.

Performances for the evening included a kick–off from big winners 5 Seconds Of Summer, as well as Kasey Chambers who was joined by Missy Higgins, Kate Miller–Heidke and Amy Sheppard for Chambers’ “Not Pretty Enough.” The evening saw Brit’s Rita Ora and George Ezra also take the stage with the show closed out by host Keith Urban who was joined by Amy Shark.

“DISRUPTIBUTION:” THE FUTURE OF MUSIC DISTRIBUTION COMES TO MUSEXPO CREATIVE SUMMIT 2019

Access to market is both essential and pivotal to the ultimate success of songs and artists! Distribution has constantly been “disruptive,” as the pipelines to the consumer continually evolve and adapt via physical, digital, streaming and mobile platforms with ever–changing consumption preferences. Add to the mix social media, automotive, VR/AR, and other experiential access–points, and we are in a rapidly evolving world of content distribution.

How do distributors not only disrupt access to market via innovative marketing and development of their repertoire, but also stand out from their competitors by creating the most effective, audible and visible musical “eruption?”

MUSEXPO Creative Summit 2019, taking place March 24th – 27th in Burbank, California (the media capital of N. America), will bring together a cross–section of innovative distributors who share how they are changing the distribution and consumption market in a more effective, creative and broader way for content owners and creators worldwide.

For more information on MUSEXPO Creative Summit 2019, and to register to attend, log on to www.musexpo.net.

GLOBAL NEWS UPDATES…

As revealed in the A&R Worldwide newsletter a few weeks ago, Downtown Music Publishing has announced the appointment of Delmar Powell as VP of A&R. In the new role, Powell will be tasked with scouting and signing new artists, songwriters, and producers, as well as creating opportunities for Downtown clients and copyrights in the global marketplace. Powell will report to Downtown Sr. VP President and Head of A&R, North America, Andrew Gould. Prior to Downtown, Powell served as Director, A&R Urban at Republic Records where he signed and developed Marc E. Bassy, whose platinum single “You & Me” featuring G–Eazy garnered over 300 million streams globally. While at Republic, Powell also worked with artists including Hailee Steinfeld, Kiana Lede, Natalie LaRose, Zendaya, and Adrian Marcel, among others. He also represented Republic as the A&R liaison for NBC’s The Voice. With a decade of experience in the music industry, Powell’s resume includes additional stops at Atlantic Records, TVT Records and JIVE Records, as well as managing multi–platinum singer/songwriter and producer Prince Chrishan “PC” (Right Now Sound).

One of the world’s most respected and talented A&R executives recently gave an insightful interview to Ritch Esra, Publisher, The Music Registry. Pete Ganbarg, President of A&R, Atlantic Records, is undoubtedly, one of the most astute and brilliant A&R minds in today’s modern music business. Click HERE to view this must–watch A&R interview!

Spotify staffer Vanja Primorac has been tapped by United Talent Agency (UTA) in a new executive role where she will be tasked with sourcing and executing “innovative marketing, distribution and platform partnerships.” At Spotify, Primorac served as an artist marketing representative, providing streaming guidance to managers, indie and major labels and working across marketing campaigns for acts such as LANY, J. Cole, Mumford & Sons, AlunaGeorge, Mike Posner and Calvin Harris. She also led the Louder Together campaign for the streamer featuring Sasha Sloan, Nina Nesbitt, Charlotte Lawrence and King Henry. Previously she worked on the launch of Revolt TV.

In other Spotify news, the company has added BBC Radio 6 and Radio 2 Sr. Content Producer Rowan Collinson to the team as Content Programming Manager. With the BBC, Collinson had overseen social media efforts and in his new role with Spotify, will look to grow the streamer’s footprint in the podcast space. Collinson will report to Spotify’s Stockholm–based Content Programming head, Helen Lindqvist.

As it prepares to roll–out its streaming platform, WarnerMedia has tapped Brad Bentley to head the service as General Manager and EVP for Direct–to–Consumer Development. Bentley, a veteran of AT&T, will report to WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey while overseeing the streaming offering’s anticipated launch in late 2019. Bentley’s career includes over 15 years with DirecTV before AT&T’s acquisition of the company at which time he joined the latter’s entertainment division working across the launch of the DirecTV Now live TV service. At the same time, Stankey revealed that CTO Jeremy Legg will take over HBO’s technology operations having led strategy for Turner’s TV Everywhere.

Producers/songwriters 9AM have been announced as the first signing to the newly–formed JV between Entertainment One (eOne) and The Stereotypes’ Beach Wave Publishing. Composed of Jeff Michaels and Luke Miliano, 9AM’s credits include work with artists such as Jeff Bhasker, Rick Ross, Ty Dolla $ign, Yung Pinch, Victoria Monet, Kaydence and Jason Derulo. Beach Wave Publishing is the recently–launched imprint of Grammy–winning producers/songwriters The Stereotypes, best known for their work on Bruno Mars’ multi–Grammy–winning album, 24K Magic. The group also produced or wrote songs for Justin Bieber including the platinum–selling “Somebody to Love,” Ne–Yo’s “Year of the Gentleman,” Mary J. Blige’s “Good Love,” Fifth Harmony’s “Deliver,” and Lil Yachty’s “Better,” among others.

Warner Music Group (WMG) has added Facebook executive Jess Keeley–Carter to its team as Sr. VP of Global Digital Marketing, Recorded Music. Keeley–Carter parts ways with her former role at the social media company to join WMG’s London office and work with the core marketing team on creating innovative strategies across multiple territories for the major’s roster of acts. The executive had looked after Facebook’s label partnerships across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and also spent eight years prior in key digital roles with Universal Music Group.

In other Warner Music Group (WMG) news, Oana Ruxandra has joined the company in the newly–created position of EVP, New Business Channels – Chief Acquisition Officer. Reporting directly to WMG CEO Steve Cooper, Ruxandra returns to the company to help attract non–traditional partners and identify unconventional M&A opportunities. She will work alongside WMG’s digital strategy and business development team, led by Chief Digital Officer & EVP, Business Development Ole Obermann; and will work with teams and initiatives across the company to bring together the most relevant resources and expertise. Having graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in Economics and Political Science, Ruxandra spent seven years in the financial community. Her career began at Constellation Capital Management before transitioning to a five–year stint at BlackRock, where she was Associate, Risk and Quantitative Analysis. After receiving her MBA in Finance and Management from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, she joined WMG, where she spent the next four years, advancing to VP of Digital Strategy and Business Development. In 2016, she joined Universal Music Group as Sr. VP of Digital Strategy and Partnerships.

Warner Bros. Records (WBR) has added Michael Chester to their team as EVP, Promotion. The new role will see him with oversight of all aspects of the label’s promotion initiatives and strategies. Chester comes to WBR from SB Projects, where he served as Sr. VP, Marketing and Promotion, working closely with the firm's clients such as Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and others. Chester will be based in Los Angeles and will report to WBR's Co–Chairman & COO Tom Corson. Having joined SB Projects in 2015, Chester had previously spent over a decade at Def Jam Recordings in the promotion department, first at Island Def Jam (IDJ), and then at Def Jam when the two labels separated. At IDJ, Chester held multiple positions including Director of West Coast Promotion, Sr. Director of Top 40 Promotion and VP of Pop Promotion. His career began at Arista Records in New York, followed by a stint in Chicago as Director of Midwest Promotion. He then transitioned to Los Angeles to oversee local promotion for Atlantic Records prior to joining IDJ in 2004.

Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) has added to its event portfolio with the announcement it will launch Epicenter Festival at North Carolina’s Rockingham Festival Grounds. The indie promoter brings the three–day rock event to Rockingham from May 10th–12th to replace Carolina Rebellion which had taken place on the site since 2011 and was co–owned by DWP and AEG.

In three years, REPOST NETWORK, a leading music distribution and label services company focused exclusively on streaming, has become one of the fastest–growing music distributors, having paid out tens of millions of dollars to their 6,000 independent artists across more than 25 platforms. The LA–based company has now rolled out its Split Pay feature within its dashboard, making it one of the very few major distribution companies to offer automated payment splitting. Split Pay allows REPOSTartists to split their earnings with collaborators and other featured artists across the music stores available on the platform, all on a track–by–track basis. The REPOST platform allows artists to distribute their new music into platforms like Spotify and Apple Music and others, as well as monetize their existing audiences on SoundCloud and YouTube. REPOST builds product, marketing, content protection, and service offerings specific to each platform and counts one billion monthly views across YouTube, SoundCloud and Spotify. Among the artists using REPOST are included Slightly Stoopid, Waka Flocka Flame, Mayer Hawthorne, The Far East Movement and others.

Decca Records has revealed the promotion of Tom Lewis to VP of A&R and Artist Strategy. Having joined Universal Classics & Jazz 15 years ago, Lewis started out as Label Manager for the Jazz department before transitioning to Head of Consumer Marketing. He eventually joined the A&R division as Head of A&R and then Sr. Director of A&R and Artist Strategy during which time he worked with acts such as Imelda May, Alfie Boe, The Fron Male Voice Choir, The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, The Monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz, Katherine Jenkins and Gareth Malone & his Military Wives Choir. With the 2009 merger of UCJ and Decca, Lewis formed an A&R team that signed the likes of The Lumineers, Aurora, The Shires, Jeff Goldblum, Seal and the million–selling Michael Ball & Alfie Boe. Lewis will continue reporting to Decca’s President, Rebecca Allen. His new role will see him growing the A&R team including the recent appointment of Rachel Holmberg (previously BBC Music Introducing’s Editor) as Head of A&R. Also joining Decca as A&R Manager is Sam Mumford who, while serving as A&R Manager with Imagem, signed acts such as Temples, Circa Waves, Oh Wonder and Owen Cutts (Stormzy).

Qobuz, the world’s first and only certified Hi–Res streaming and download service, has announced its U.S. pricing plan as it prepares to deliver its multi–million track Hi–Res catalog to U.S. music fans. Qobuz is already available in eleven European countries, focusing on deep metadata, complete digital booklets, interactive articles and reviews, and exclusive playlists, in addition to its unparalleled audio quality. The beta version of Qobuz is currently being tested in the U.S. preceding wide release. Pricing tiers at its launch will include Sublime+ at $299.99/year for full Hi–Res streaming and significant discounts on purchases from the Qobuz Hi–Res (up to 24–bit / 192 khz) download store; Studio at $24.99/month for unlimited Hi–Res (24–bit /up to 192 khz) streaming; Hi–Fi at $19.99/month for streaming including 16–bit CD quality streaming; and Premium at $9.99/month for 320 kbps MP3 quality streaming. The U.S. launch date will be announced soon with Qobuz already having opened headquarters in NYC. At launch, Qobuz will be available on all Mac/iOS/Android/Windows operating systems.

Live Nation is rolling out a new ticket alternative for 29 amphitheaters under its ownership or operation with its first–ever Live Nation Lawn Passes. For prices ranging from $99 to $399, fans will be able to show up on the day of event, including those that are sold out, and access shows via the Fast Lane entry as well as receive one lawn chair rental per event. Among the venues participating are included BB&T Pavilion (Camden, NJ); Cellairis Amphitheatre (Lakewood in Atlanta, GA); Glen Helen Amphitheater (San Bernardino, CA); Rouff Home Mortgage Music Center (Noblesville, IN; and The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory (Irving, TX) among others.

Archie Davis has joined RCA Records as Sr. VP Marketing as well as finalized a new JV label with RCA under the banner of Six Course Music Group. Davis’ marketing role will see him leading campaigns and supporting RCA acts to build upon their brands and careers. Six Course Music Group will also see Davis signing and developing acts through the JV in partnership with RCA. Davis’ background includes time at Interscope Records as Sr. VP of Urban Marketing where he looked after campaigns for Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, Eardrummers, Rae Sremmurd, Mike Will Made–It, Rich The Kid and the Black Panther soundtrack.

ADA Worldwide has finalized an exclusive partnership with dBpm Records, a full–service record label founded in 2011 by Wilco. ADA Worldwide will support the label globally across sales, distribution and retail marketing efforts for all upcoming releases, including Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy’s debut all–original solo album, WARM. Based in Chicago, the label has released all of Wilco’s albums since 2011’s The Whole Love, including Tweedy’s Sukierae and covers album Together At Last.

Kobalt has signed Mexican–American singer/songwriters and multi–instrumentalists, Jesse & Joy, to a worldwide agreement that covers publishing administration for the sibling duo’s new single “Te Esperé” as well as future works. Born and raised in Mexico City, the duo garnered the 2017 Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album, Un Besito Más, adding to their six career Latin Grammys. Their previous single, “3 A.M” with Gente De Zona, generated record streams globally. In addition to millions of social media followers and billions of views worldwide, Jesse & Joy also use their global platform to raise their voices on behalf of those who cannot, while representing the bicultural bilingual millennials of today.

Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande has taken over honors as Spotify’s most streamed artist globally as of last week. Having generated 46.9 million monthly listeners, Grande bumped Selena Gomez from the No.1 spot.

Tencent Music Entertainment (TME) will move forward on its New York Stock Exchange IPO before the end of the year, seeking to raise between $1.07 billion and $1.23 billion according to new Securities and Exchange Commission filings. In the SEC filing, TME said it is selling 82 million American depositary shares in this IPO at an estimated price between $13–$15 per share. The $1.2 billion IPO would also mark the third largest in the U.S. by a Chinese company this year. According to Reuters, TME's target valuation is between $22 billion and $25 billion.

Warner Music Group’s Arts Music division along with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind the iconic children’s show Sesame Street, have partnered to relaunch Sesame Street Records in the U.S. and Canada. The multi–year deal will see a catalog of well–known Sesame Street recordings now available across streaming and download platforms, with brand–new compilation titles on CD and vinyl formats. Arts Music will also bring never–before–released music from current and past seasons of Sesame Street, including appearances by pop stars and other notable celebrities; new thematic compilations aligned with educational topics featured in current and upcoming seasons of Sesame Street; and new cover songs and parodies that originate outside of the TV show. The partnership marks the first time in over twenty years that new music from Sesame Street will be made publicly available under a consistent schedule of releases.

Apple could be forced to do away with the 30% transaction fee it charges software developers to sell apps via its iTunes and App Store as the U.S. Supreme Court will likely allow an antitrust lawsuit to move forward. In addition to providing Apple with a significant cut of user payment activity across 2.1 million apps (as of 2017), the transaction fee has played a key part in Apple’s quick rise through the music streaming platform ranks, currently counting more than 50 million Apple Music users. As a result of the transaction fee, services such as Pandora Premium, Deezer Premium, YouTube Music, Tidal and others have increased their subscription price points by 30% via Apple–owned channels to account for the difference with Spotify and Google Play Music currently not allowing iOS users access to their premium tiers via their apps.

YouTube has revealed a strategic shift to its content offering as it begins to direct energy away from its scripted output commencing in 2020. According to sources for The Hollywood Reporter, executives will be looking to add pressure to the video streamer’s ad–supported platform in offering all original content to users for free with or without a YouTube Premium subscription. Despite the announcement, YouTube has recently called for new pilots for an adapted version of The Edge Of Seventeen as well as Ben Stiller–produced Dark Cargo. The YouTube Originals team is led by former MTV exec, Susanne Daniels.

In other YouTube news, as it seeks to remain competitive in the music streaming space, YouTube Music has rolled–out a student rate offering for its YouTube Music Premium ($4.99/month) and YouTube Premium ($6.99/month) tiers. The rates are currently only available to full–time students in the U.S. though will expand to additional territories moving forward.

Robert Ashcroft has revealed that he will part ways with his post as CEO for PRS For Music at the end of 2019. The date will mark the 10–year milestone of his appointment to the role. Under this guidance, the U.K. rights society has posted significant growth and rolled out three industry JV’s with ICE, Network of Music Partners (NMP) and PPL PRS Ltd.

Mixcloud has finalized a multi–year direct licensing agreement with the Merlin Network, to bring Merlin’s independent labels and their recording artists into the platform, alongside Mixcloud’s recent agreements with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. Mixcloud offers listeners access to a unique collection of more than 15 million radio shows, DJ mixes and podcasts produced and uploaded by over 1.3 million tastemakers and curators worldwide. Regular uploaders include online radio stations such as NTS, The Lot Radio and Red Light Radio; independent record labels such as Ninja Tune, Tru Thoughts and Hospital Records; and individual creators such as Lefto, J Rocc and Mr Scruff.

Veteran singer/songwriter Bill Luther has finalized a new co–publishing agreement with BMG. Known for co–writing the chart–topping Tim McGraw hit "My Best Friend," Luther has also penned McGraw's "Let it Go," "How Bad Do You Want It," and his Grammy Award–winning duet with Faith Hill "Let’s Make Love." Additional credits for Luther include co–writing the Kenny Chesney Top 5 hit "Who You’d Be Today" and Top 10 "What I Need to Do," as well as songs for Joe Nichols, Jo Dee Messina, Clink Black, Lee Ann Womack, Lee Greenwood and others.

The U.K.'s Sentric Music and Riptide Music Group in Los Angeles have finalized a cross–Atlantic strategic partnership to see the two companies sharing staff, resources and infrastructure across territories to benefit their catalogues, catalogue owners, artists and writers. The partnership sees the launch of a global, independent, one stop shop, counting a direct royalty collection network across over 100 territories; leading technology for centralized administration, copyright management and royalty collection; and creative and synch teams across the U.S. and Europe. The combined global synch divisions of Sentric and Riptide have licensed music for a range of top brands including Apple, Google, Pepsi, HBO, Netflix, Ford, American Express and Nike; trailers for films such as Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom; and hundreds of TV shows including Hawaii 5–0, Shameless, Grey’s Anatomy and Vampire Diaries.

Janet Jackson

Paradigm has signed Janet Jackson for global representation across all areas following the recent announcement that Jackson was transitioning to the independent label sector for new music releases. Jackson comes to Paradigm after a long–time relationship with the William Morris Agency. Via a partnership between Jackson’s new label Rhythm Nation Records and independent distributor, label and publisher Cinq Music, a collaboration with Daddy Yankee on “Made For Now” has been released and has topped the Dance Club Songs chart and garnered more than 50 million YouTube views. Jackson’s career has generated six Grammy’s, a Golden Globe as well as nominations for two Emmy’s and an Academy Award. On the acting front, her start came on sitcoms Good Times and Diff’rent Strokes which resulted in an acclaimed performance in 1993’s film Poetic Justice.

Paradigm has also finalized a deal to acquire leading Nashville booking firm, Dale Morris & Associates. The firm is the in–house booking set–up for Dale Morris and Clint Higham’s Morris Higham Management (MHM). The acquisition sees Paradigm adding agents Mike Betterton (MHM’s VP and GM) and Nate Ritches to their team. The deal also sees Kenny Chesney and Old Dominion added to Paradigm’s roster with Chesney marked as the highest–grossing country touring artists of all–time with a cumulative total in ticket sales reaching $1 billion, according to Billboard Boxscore.

In other agency news, music producer Dave Cobb has joined the CAA roster to see the firm helping build on his film and TV work. Cobb recently produced the hit soundtrack for A Star Is Born and acted as music consultant on the film. Cobb’s award–winning work also includes that with Chris Stapleton (Traveller, From a Room: Volume 1 and Volume 2), Sturgill Simpson (Metamodern Sounds in Country Music) and projects from Brandi Carlile, John Prine, Bruce Springsteen, Elle King, Zac Brown Band, Anderson East, The Revivalists, Brent Cobb, Ashley Monroe, Bob Weir, Amanda Shires, Colter Wall and Lori McKenna.

NYC’s Governors Ball Music Festival has revealed the dates for its 2019 event to return to Randall’s Island Park. Taking place May 31st – June 2nd, the event is yet to unveil any confirmed acts but has previously welcomed the likes of Eminem, Jack White, Halsey, The 1975, Kendrick Lamar and others.

Having been engaged in a lengthy battle, British government agency, the Competitions and Market Authority (CMA) has garnered a winning step against secondary ticketing platform, Viagogo. Issued in London, the court order requires a “comprehensive overhaul” to its U.K. website to meet British consumer law requirements. The court order dictates that Viagogo must inform buyers of the risk of being turned away at the door, where they will be seated in concert venues, and the person/entity selling the tickets. Viagogo has agreed to meet these requirements and also stated it will not mislead fans on the availability or demand of tickets to influence purchases. The order will also see Viagogo simplifying its refund process as well as halting ticket sales from sellers who do not own or may not be able to fulfill ticket purchases. The court order is legally binding and changes must be completed by mid–January, the same deadline in place for additional U.K. secondary retailers Stubhub (eBay), Seatwave (Ticketmaster) and Get Me In!.

Norah Jones

Norah Jones has joined the roster at Marsha Vlasic’s AGI for representation across the U.S. and Canada. Jones had previously been represented by UTA’s Joe Brauner. Her international touring representation, including Mexico, will be maintained by CAA. Jones is managed by John Silva and signed to Universal subsidiary Blue Note Records. She joins Vlasic’s roster that includes Neil Young, Elvis Costello, Regina Spektor, Cage The Elephant, The Strokes, Moby, Iggy and the Stooges, Ben Folds and others.

Starting the week of December 17th, Amazon Echo will welcome the Apple Music streaming service to its devices. The integration will require users to have Apple Music subscriptions to access the new feature on Echo devices which will include Alexa capability.

ole has signed an exclusive worldwide recording and publishing deal with world–renowned pianist/composer, Paul Cardall, and has acquired Cardall’s catalogue including the master recordings from all 22 of Cardall’s past albums, master recordings of 12 additional albums from Cardall’s Stone Angel Music label, and Cardall’s publishing and writer’s share on all compositions. The new recording agreement commences with Cardall’s highly–anticipated holiday album, Christmas, released last month and debuting at No.1 on the Billboard New Age Albums chart. The new collection features 13 piano centered classics, alongside vocal collaborations with artists such as 12–time Grammy–winner, CeCe Winans. In support of the release, Cardall performed at the National Christmas Tree Lighting in Washington, D.C. last week. Cardall’s work has garnered six consecutive No.1 albums on the Billboard New Age Albums chart, more than 2 billion lifetime streams, and and average of over 25 million streams monthly.

In other ole news, the company has finalize a worldwide 360 deal to sign singer/songwriter, Eric Ethridge, to its red dot label. The deal covers exclusive publishing and recording rights, administration of all properties on YouTube, and includes the acquisition of Ethridge’s self–titled debut EP which debuted at No.1 on the iTunes Country charts and garnered more than 3 million times in the first 6 weeks of its release. In early 2016, Ethridge was selected as one of 6 finalists into the Canadian Country Music Association’s (CCMA) Discovery Program and went on to win the CCMA Discovery Award. His debut EP’s first single, “Liquor’s Callin’ the Shots,” reached Top 30 at Canadian Country Radio, and his most recent single, “California,” spent time as the Most Streamed Canadian Country Song in Canada.

ONErpm is expanding its publishing operation worldwide, now offering publishing administration and synch services to clients globally. These services had only been available in Brazil, where ONErpm has direct deals with DSPs as well as an exclusive administration deal with Brazilian rights society ADDAF. The expansion will provide an increased reach and improved opportunities for ONErpm's roster of more than 100,000 artists, labels and video creators. The company works closely with major DSPs such as YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Pandora and others.

Bucks Music Group has agreed to a reciprocal sub-publishing deal with Mushroom Music Publishing commencing January 1st. The deal will see the two companies represent each other’s catalogues in their respective home territories of the U.K. and Australia/New Zealand. Mushroom Music has become the most successful indie music publisher in Australasia with a catalogue covering widely-successful works from the late ‘60s through to today's emerging new talent. Bucks Music Group is one of the UK’s leading and longest running international, independent music publishers having launched and developed the careers of music legends such as David Bowie, T-Rex, The Move, Black Sabbath and Procol Harum. Its active A&R department continues to discover and develop new songwriting talent. Also included in the new territory deal is Sarah Liversedge Platz’s ever-growing BDi Music catalogue, counting co-writes by A-list writers, Amy Wadge (Ed Sheeran, Camila Cabello, Tom Grennan, Boyzone) andJake Gosling (Ed Sheeran, James Bay, Major Lazer).

David Gresham & Andrew Mitchley

David Gresham Records continues to deliver international hits in South Africa, most recently reaching Gold status for U.S. act Childish Gambino and Canadian act The Strumbellas via the company's exclusive label deal for Africa with Daniel Glass of Glassnote Entertainment. David Gresham Records’ in–house physical distribution business is currently enjoying two of the top 10 biggest selling CDs in South Africa. The firm continues to successfully balance the online download and streaming productivity as well as the physical market in South Africa while continuing to see growth in both sectors of the market, with domestic acts breaking and a number of continued international label partnerships. Over the years the company has been responsible for major hits by Nickelback, Erasure, Depeche Mode, Kylie Minogue, Run–DMC, Ace of Base and others.

The board of Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited and its investment adviser, The Family (Music) Limited, continue their acquisitions with a 37.5% purchase of the Bernard Edwards music catalogue. Bernard Edwards is best known for his partnership with Nile Rodgers, co–founding CHIC in 1976 and co–writing No.1 songs, not just for CHIC, but for additional acts such as Sister Sledge and Diana Ross. Rodgers is a member of The Family (Music) Limited’s Advisory Board and continues to promote and perform numerous songs within the catalogue. The catalogue is composed of 290 evergreen songs, many of which have been extensively sampled, remixed or reissued to generate new hits that are a part of the catalogue including “Rapper’s Delight” and songs by the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Puff Daddy and Justin Timberlake.

Global streaming media firm Plex has revealed a new partnership with Tidal offering access for Plex members to the full Tidal catalog. Plex is available initially as a free trial with subscription plans starting at $9.99 per month. Plex, which aggregates a number of media types into one app, recently rolled–out Plex News, Plex Web Shows and Plex Podcasts.

Scandinavian music company GL Music Entertainment has added David Guetta’s Jack Back Publishing to the growing list of independents they represent. The catalog counts songs that Guetta has produced and co–written on the new album, 7, with GL representing the catalog in the Nordic countries with a maintained focus on administration and synch opportunities. The Copenhagen–based company represents more than 500,000 copyrights in Scandinavia from publishers worldwide including Cloud 9 (Netherlands), The Royalty Network (U.S.), Schedler Music (Austria), PEN Music (U.S.), Memory Lane Music Group (U.S.), ROBA (Germany), A&G Sync (U.K.), CCS Rights Management (Canada), Red Brick Songs (Canada), and others.

PRS Foundation’s Keychange initiative recently made another landmark step towards achieving its goal of encouraging a gender–balanced global music industry. Alongside its Keychange festival partners, Vanessa Reed (CEO of PRS Foundation) presented a manifesto for change at the European Parliament in Brussels, seeking to increase and sustain representation of women in the music industry. The manifesto was formulated from the achievements, ideas and suggestions of Keychange partners and participants which include 60 emerging female artists and innovators, and seven festivals from Europe and Canada. The set of recommendations focused on four core areas including working conditions and lack of senior role models; investment from the industry and public sector for programs to empower under–represented artists and industry professionals; research and analysis of the current gender gap; and education in schools to address gender stereotypes and diversify career options for young men and women. Since launching in September 2017, more than 140 festivals have signed the Keychange pledge towards achieving a 50/50 gender split across line–ups, conferences and commissions by 2022. To read the full manifesto, click HERE.

A&R Worldwide has learned that agent Ben Clements has rejoined UK–based Industry Live Agency (ILA) following a brief break with the firm. ILA’s roster counts acts such as Becky Hill, Scouting For Girls, The Feeling and many others.

Have you ever sent a personal IM to the wrong screen name, accidentally replied “send all” on an E–mail, or made a total ass of yourself? Yes, we’ve all had a jackass moment at one time or another in our life. Work can be grueling and a big pain in the you know what. Click HERE for some excruciatingly painful and embarrassing moments in and out of the work environment!

A&R WORLDWIDE’S "ARTIST OF THE WEEK"– THOMAS AZIER

In 2012, Dutch–born/Berlin–based Thomas Azier released two EPs, Hylas 001 and Hylas 002 on his own Hylas Records label. The two releases helped him win the Friesland Pop Talent Award and led to a deal with Universal Music France after his booking agent Clotaire Buche discovered him in the A&R Worldwide newsletter and presented him to the major label. Two years later, he released his critically acclaimed debut album Hylas, which charted in the Netherlands, France and Belgium. The lead single “Red Eyes” was featured in the international television campaign for Yves Saint Laurent. To help build the momentum, Azier went on an extensive tour with more than 120 shows between 2013–2014, including support slots for Stromae and Woodkid. Never one to stop writing or recording, Azier continued to work on new music. When the Dutch electro–pop singer bought a 1920’s upright piano, the songs started hitting him like waves. In 2017, Azier unleashed his sophomore album, Rouge, which charted in the Top 20 of the GfK Dutch Charts. This year, Azier released the EP S T R A Y; a four–track release acting as a reflection of the experiences he has gone through, both in life and on the road. In addition to his current releases, many fans have fallen in love with his reinterpretation of the early 90s global hit “Wicked Game,” originally recorded by Chris Isaak, which he frequently performs live. Experience the studio version of “Wicked Game” by Thomas Azier HERE and contact info@anrworldwide.com for additional information.

A&R WORLDWIDE’S "VIDEO OF THE WEEK" – ADAM FRENCH

Adam French has yet to release his debut album, yet with just two EP’s released, he’s on the radar of Dua Lipa (“New Rules,” “One Kiss”), skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, and he’s received support from BBC Introducing. The self–taught multi–instrumentalist from Cheshire, who creates songs of depth and honesty, recently released “Wanna Be Here,” the first single from his forthcoming 2019 album. The track was written about the difference between happiness and comfort, according to Adam. The just–released music video portrays a complicated love story, and has earned more than 80,000 views in the first week of release. “Wanna Be Here" has been featured in Spotify's New Music Friday playlists across Europe, and various Apple Music playlists, including The A–List: Singer/Songwriter in 68 countries, and Best of the Week in 20 countries. Click HERE to watch the video for “Wanna Be Here” as Adam is signed to Virgin EMI (Universal Music), released by Play Nice in the U.S., and is available for publishing options. He is signed to CAA for live opportunities worldwide and represented by Communion & Kilimanjaro for UK booking. Contact – MGMT – David Winterburn at david@dw–pr.co.ukfor additional information and all inquiries.